GROVE CITY, Pa. (WKBN) – The defending District 10 champion Grove City Eagles are after their third consecutive crown.
Entering his tenth season at the helm, Sam Mowery views his program as one that has built ‘men of integrity’ with a vision. “Our boys and staff have done an amazing job of committing themselves to what we believe in and continue to work extremely hard year-in and year-out to live out that vision. We have had tremendous leadership over the past decade that has set a high standard, and those leadership lessons have been passed down to the underclassmen that continue to learn, develop, and set their own standards.”
The Eagles welcome back their senior signal caller Hunter Hohman (1761 passing yards; 497 rushing yards) to go along with a pair of his reliable targets in Gavin Lutz (665 receiving yards) and Nathan Greer (747 receiving yards).
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Mowery points out, “Offensively, this unit has the potential to be extremely dynamic. Hohman provides problems with his ability to throw and run. With the graduation of Anthony Nemec (874 rushing yards), we are looking for Dom Garzarelli and Bode Stevenson to step up and fill that void. Between Gavin, Greer, and the return of Joey Hathaway [and Clayton Martin], we provide matchup problems for defenses on the outside and slot positions.”
Up front, the offensive line must replace Dylan Ahern – who earned First-Team All-Region last season. Marcello Trezona, Jack Wolfe and Adan Navarro will be back in the fold as starters this year. The staff is high on the potential that Kyle Enscoe displayed last year as well.
“We’re looking for players [such as] Shawn Young, Delathian Boanes, Logan Dice to step in and add some depth,” stated Mowery. “The development of our offensive line will be critical to our offense’s success.”
From a defensive standpoint, the Eagles welcome back four players who were named to the All-Region teams. However, the loss of the likes of Nathan Boyd (104 tackles, 9 TFL) and Jacob Arnold (47 tackles, 10.5 TFL) will not be easy to replace.
“We had a great start to our off-season workouts this summer,” said Mowery. “We look forward to great competition on the defensive side of the ball.”
Along the defensive line, the Eagles will welcome back Trezona, Enscoe, Wolfe, Navarro, Young, Boanes (67 tackles), Dice and Alex Hackwelder (53 tackles). “They’ve all been working extremely hard to compete for positions,” Mowery indicated.
“We’re all counting on Stevenson (48 tackles), Martin, Hathaway, Hohman (95 tackles), Greer (69 tackles), Lutz (39 tackles), Ian McCreary and Lucas McCreadie to step up and have great seasons,” says Mowery. Coach [Brad] Trezona has created a defensive unit that focuses on the fundamentals, being great tacklers and forcing turnovers. He continues to put a great defensive product on the field each year.”
Grove City has won nine games of more in six of the last seven years.
This season, the Eagles will open at home on August 25 versus Avonworth.
Grove City Eagles
Fast Facts
Head Coach: Sam Mowery, 10th season (67-35)
2022 Record: 9-4 (5-2), T-2nd place in Region 3
Last 5 Years: 43-15 (74.1%)
Home Field: Forker Field
League: District 10, Region 3
Base Offense: Power Spread
Base Defense: 4-4
Returning Starters
Offense: 9
Defense: 9
2022 Team Stats
Scoring Offense: 27.2
Scoring Defense: 23.5
Total Offense: 257.4
Rushing Offense: 117.5
Passing Offense: 139.8
2022 Individual Leaders
Passing: Hunter Hohman – 1761 yards, 59.9% (115-192), 17 TDs
Rushing: Anthony Nemec – 874 yards, 4.6 avg, 6 TDs
Receiving: Nathan Greer – 747 yards, 15.9 avg, 3 TDs
Tackles: Nathan Boyd – 104
QB Sacks: Jacob Arnold – 4 1/2
Interceptions: Nathan Boyd & Nathan Greer – 3
2022 Results
Central Martinsburg 35 Eagles 7*
Eagles 42 Slippery Rock 23*
Eagles 22 Sharon 21*
Eagles 35 Fairview 21*
Eagles 35 Wilmington 6
Eagles 38 Sharpsville 22
Hickory 24 Eagles 14
Eagles 33 Greenville 27
Eagles 22 Slippery Rock 21
Eagles 41 Sharon 25
Farrell 46 Eagles 15
Eagles 42 Northwestern 7
Avonworth 27 Eagles 7
*-playoff
2022 District 10, Region 3 Standings
Farrell – 7-0 (10-2)
Sharpsville – 5-2 (9-3)
Grove City – 5-2 (9-4)
Sharon – 4-3 (6-5)
Slippery Rock – 3-4 (7-5)
Hickory – 2-5 (5-6)
Wilmington – 2-5 (3-7)
Greenville – 0-7 (2-8)
2023 Schedule
Aug. 25 – Avonworth
Sept. 1 – at Northwestern
Sept. 8 – at Farrell
Sept. 15 – Sharon
Sept. 22 – at Slippery Rock
Sept. 29 – Greenville
Oct. 6 – at Hickory
Oct. 14 – Sharpsville
Oct. 20 – Wilmington